Personal loans in Salem, IA

Salem shed about 3.0% of its population between the 2020 base and the 2023 estimate. A single loan can carry different costs on either side of a state line, and Salem sits on the Iowa side of that line. Work out your debt-to-income ratio first; lenders weigh it heavily, and Salem's 386 residents are no exception. For a bigger market, look to Mount Pleasant, IA about 9 miles away.

Salem: population, trend and location

Most of what governs a Salem loan is written in Iowa law rather than in the city; the sourced notes below make that split concrete.

• Population: 386 — Salem ranks 495th of 940 communities in Iowa (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
• Population trend: A decline of about 3.0% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison.
• Absolute change: 12 residents lost between 2020 and 2023.
• Size percentile: about 47% of Iowa's Census places are smaller than Salem.
• Population density: about 617 people per square mile (Census land area 0.6 sq mi).
• Land area rank: Salem's 0.6 square miles rank 559th of 940 places in Iowa.
• Within Iowa: about 0.0% of the state's population lives in Salem.
• National rank: Salem sits 14,233rd by population among the 19,457 places in this dataset.
• Growth rank: Salem ranks 811th among Iowa's 940 places for the 2020-to-2023 change.
• Against the state trend: Salem's 3.0% change compares with a Iowa average of -0.7% across its 940 places.
• Density rank: Salem places 512th among Iowa's places by people per square mile.
• Against the state median: Salem runs about 617 residents per square mile, where the Iowa median is 672.
• Location: latitude 40.8522, longitude -91.6207 (Census Gazetteer).
• Nearest larger cities: Mount Pleasant (9 mi); New London (12 mi); West Point (13 mi); Donnellson (15 mi); Farmington (16 mi). Online lenders reach Salem no matter how far the nearest branch is.
• Smaller towns nearby: Houghton (5 mi); Hillsboro (5 mi); Westwood (8 mi).
• Smaller places within 50 miles: 64 of them.
• At 100 miles: 279 larger Census places fall inside that radius.

The state rulebook for Salem

When Iowa does not publish a figure, the row links to the source instead of inventing a number; Salem is bound by the same rules.

A practical checklist for Salem borrowers

These steps shape the offer you get in Salem, a place of about 386 people:

1. Pull your credit reports first and correct any error before a lender sees the file.
2. Test your amount and term in the personal loan calculator first.
3. Gather at least three pre-qualified offers and line up the APR, not the headline rate.
4. Look the lender up in the Iowa regulator's licence records before you sign.
5. If debt is already a struggle, talk to a nonprofit credit counsellor before borrowing more.
6. Look for an origination fee or prepayment penalty in the written disclosure.
7. Make sure the new payment leaves room in a budget you already keep.

The process is identical across Iowa; what changes is your credit file, not the fact that Salem holds 386 people.

How personal loans work in Salem

In Salem, a small community of about 386, the amount is advanced up front and repaid in fixed installments; the city's size does not change the pricing. The rate you see advertised is a range, not a promise, until a lender reviews your file in Salem. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Salem loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.

Lender access in Salem

With about 617 residents per square mile, Salem is moderately settled, and 56 larger Census places sit within 50 miles. Whether Salem has a local branch or not, a Iowa-licensed lender can serve its 386 people online on the same terms. The nearest bigger place is Mount Pleasant, IA about 9 miles away.

Land, water and location for Salem

The Census Gazetteer records about 0.6 square miles of land within Salem, with no significant water area listed. With 386 residents, the land area yields roughly 617 people per square mile. The largest place in Iowa, Des Moines, lies about 115 miles away. A 50-mile radius around Salem takes in 56 places that are larger. Within the same 50 miles lie 64 smaller Census places.